CLEVELAND — The praise now comes from all angles. Where there were once yawns, now, nationally, basketball experts are dialed in on the Nuggets, loving what they see after the team obliterated the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

And while two weeks ago the recognition was something Nuggets coach George Karl said he wanted for his hardworking players, who were passed over for selection in the All-Star Game, he backtracked on that a bit as his team began a four-game road trip Saturday night.

"Probably not," he said about liking their new — and earned — attention, though his team responded well to it all in a 111-103 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. "We're human beings. When we get loved and kissed too much, sometimes I think it gives us a lack of focus and discipline. We have to keep the momentum going."

Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari goes to the basket between Cleveland's Tristan Thompson, left, and Tyler Zeller during the first quarter on Saturday in Cleveland. (Aaron Josefczyk, Reuters)

And aside from a turnover-filled game, which kept the Cavs in striking distance most of the night, the Nuggets were able to do just that. Momentum continued. It was their ninth consecutive victory, the team's longest win streak in nearly eight years, when they had a 10-game streak from March 30-April 15 in 2005.

"It's a heck of a victory for us," Kenneth Faried said. "It's wonderful. We came out and we played Nuggets basketball."

The beginning, though, was in no way indicative of the end.

Cavs forward Alonzo Gee made mincemeat of the Nuggets' defense, which was clearly — as it should have been — tilted to stop anything guard Kyrie Irving wanted to accomplish. Gee started 6-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-3 from the 3-point line, and had outscored the Nuggets by himself 15-14 in the early going.

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"It was not a great defensive game on our part, but I thought we did put some pressure on them in the third quarter," Karl said. "It was a solid win for us."

And when Gee simply stopped shooting, because he didn't exactly cool off, Irving asserted himself. The Nuggets scrambled through defensive matchups to adjust. And while they didn't hit the jackpot on any one strategy, they were able to bring most everyone's production back to normal levels.

And with a 17-6 run in the final 4:50 of the first half, the Nuggets had a six-point lead going into the break. Cleveland provided minimal amounts of resistance from there. The Cavaliers played the night before, and finally, in the second half, their weary legs showed.

The Nuggets played far from crisp basketball, but their lead grew anyway. Cleveland is good in the fourth quarter, but not on this night, not against a Nuggets team that makes its living this season turning up the heat in the final period.

The Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman posts analysis, notes and more on this blog focussing on the Denver Nuggets.

"I think we're going to have to play better to beat Boston," Karl said. "But you never know. I think we're in a nice roll, a nice rhythm. There's a good confidence going on the team, but I think we're still serious about the challenges that we have before the all-star break."

Wilson Chandler (groin) is questionable to play at Boston, if there is a game after a snowstorm dropped some three feet of snow on the area Friday and Saturday. Chandler aggravated the injury Saturday night against the Cavaliers.

Meanwhile, Faried (knee) said he's fine and will play.

"I'm a warrior," he said.

Nuggets Recap

What you might have missed. The Nuggets committed 20 turnovers, which the Cavaliers turned into 24 points. ... The Nuggets finished with 62 points in the paint. ... The Nuggets outscored Cleveland 19-5 in fast-break points, and held a 46-38 edge on the boards. ... The Nuggets are now 11-15 on the road this season.

Final thought. Sloppy, but a win is a win. And on the road, the Nuggets will take it.

Not all kids who play baseball are uniformed with fancy script across their chests, traveling to $1,000 instructional camps and drilled how to properly hit the cut-off man. Some kids just play to play.